Game review: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (PS5)

Hideo Kojima is most known for being the creator and designer of the excellent Metal Gear Solid video games. Personally, I've played most of the mainline Metal Gear video games, with the first and third games being my favourites. 

Sadly, Hideo Kojima cannot make any more Metal Gear games because Konami owns the IP, and the two unceremoniously parted ways with one another after the release of Metal Gear Solid 5. 

With Kojima now a free agent, he made his own game studio and released a new IP called Death Stranding, released on PS4 in 2019. Surprisingly, the game wasn't as well-received as his Metal Gear Solid video games. A portion of gamers (including myself) thought the game was boring because most of its gameplay consisted of long walking segments. 

I remember giving the game a 7/10 when I reviewed it in 2019. I finished the game in just under 40 hours, and I was underwhelmed with my experience. 

When Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was announced a few years later, I was one of the few people out there who wasn't looking forward to the sequel. 

Fast forward to 2025, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is out now exclusively for the PS5 and PS5 Pro consoles. After finally getting a copy of the sequel myself, I'm proud to say Death Stranding 2 is a HUGE improvement over the original game! The sequel is better than the original game in every way possible. 

Before I begin talking about the many gameplay improvements, let's first discuss what Death Stranding 2 is all about. The game takes place 11 months after the first game, with players still assuming the role of Sam Porter Bridges, played by Norman Reedus. After connecting North America in the original game, Bridges now has to save the countries of Mexico and Australia, too. 

Bridges is still with his adopted baby, Lou, and he's reunited with Fragile, played by Lea Seydoux. Fragile has founded a new organisation called Drawbridge, and she hopes Bridges is able to now connect Mexico and Australia to the chiral network. 

One of the coolest new additions in the sequel is that Drawbridge has access to a cool-looking ship called the DHV Magellan. This essentially means you can fast travel to previously visited locations if you want to tackle any side quests you may have missed the first time around. 

However, the biggest improvement in Death Stranding 2 is that most of the missions are more entertaining. I remember being bored playing the first game because I'd be walking for literally hours without seeing any enemies. Not to mention, the terrain was too rocky for even vehicles to drive over!

In Death Stranding 2, Kojima has now littered the game world with tons of new enemies, and they even have bases too! Aside from the usual human enemies, the sequel adds cooler bad guys, including robots and mechs as well. 

There are even some missions that require you to invade enemy bases and destroy some of their resources. The game isn't stingy with its weapons either because Sam Bridges can wield assault rifles, shotguns, machine guns, grenades, and even a rocket launcher.

I also forgot to mention that the game includes way more entertaining boss battles. Yes, you can fight the likes of huge mechs, and even a mysterious guy who looks like Solid Snake. The boss fights with the mystery man are great because he can teleport, and the locations you visit defy the laws of gravity sometimes. 

The missions aren't just about transporting cargo from point A to point B either. One of my favourite missions was when I had to save a kangaroo and transport it to the local Animal Shelter. In another mission, I had to make sure to deliver pizza that was nice and hot. You will fail the mission if the pizza is cold or broken. 

Speaking of transport, there are more options to travel the land other than boring walking. The topography of Australia seems flatter compared to North America, so driving vehicles in this game is less frustrating. I really liked using the truck with a machine gun turret that another player offered to other players like me. 

However, the most fun type of transport in the entire game is the skateboarding coffin. Yes, you have read that right. You can somewhat skateboard on top of a fancy coffin in this game, and it's far more fun than just walking with your own boring feet. 

Other players are also instrumental in making the game far less boring than the first game. Players from around the world have built roads, bridges, chargers, vehicles, and other types of infrastructure to make exploration not as gruelling as it can be when playing the game solo. 

In terms of characters, this game features a better supporting cast for Sam and a great villain performance from Troy Baker. I cannot say much about Elle Fanning's character, but she's really cool from the small action scenes that she has in the game. 

Graphically, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is arguably the best-looking video game currently on the PS5. The character models are very accurate, and the environments look photorealistic. You can run the game at 30fps or 60fps, and both modes look great on either a base PS5 or PS5 Pro. 

The only negative thing I can say about the game is that there are only one or two boring missions where you still have to travel a long way on foot. The mission I really hated in this sequel is when I had to search on top of a snowy mountain for someone's lost dad. Other than that, the majority of the missions aren't very boring. 

Overall, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is way better than the first game in every possible way. The graphics are superior, and the gameplay is more enjoyable. Even if you hated the first game like me, the sequel is worth picking up because it's a huge improvement.

Verdict: 9.5/10